


the bathrobe dilemma

by Jolly Camaleonte (ginnyx)



Category: Metallica
Genre: Friends Discussing Friends, Friendship, Gen, Mission Metallica Era, band dynamics, set during the making of Death Magnetic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:08:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27729274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnyx/pseuds/Jolly%20Camaleonte
Summary: Kirk and Rob discuss mugcakes, bathrobes and friendship.
Relationships: James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett & Robert Trujillo
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	the bathrobe dilemma

“Any type of mug?”

“Yep, but make it _this_ big.”

Kirk holds his hands up, separated; Rob nods as if taking mental note.

“It’s really easy, I swear, and it only takes two minutes in the microwave and BAM! Breakfast for the kids! Everyone is happy and fed.”

Rob smirks and slouches even more on the HQ sofa.

“Seems like magic!”

“Dude, it _is_. I swear that every time I make a mug cake, I can’t help but watching it spinning and growing and _growing_.”

Rob’s laugh and next quip are eaten by the sound of the studio’s door slamming open wide.

“KIRK!”

Lars comes in bouncing with energy and—

“Does it suit me??”

_A bathrobe._

“Not your color, bro”, Kirk answers dryly, unfazed.

_A magenta bathrobe._

Rob frowns, bemused.

“Is that… ?”

“That’s right, _that’s right!_ ”

He twirls around, making it swish around his mid-calf.

_James Hetfield’s embroidered magenta bathrobe._

He is grinning, madly.

“Wait,” now it’s Kirk’s turn to sound puzzled, he tilts his head, squinting, “are you naked under it?”

Lars stops, blinks at him and then shoves his hands under the robe, pulling down.

Black boxers fly under Greg’s chair.

“I am now.”

Kirk rolls his eyes, back against the couch, but he is trying not to smile.

Rob doesn’t even put in the effort and goes straight into the next question.

“Does _he_ know?”

“No—o,” Lars singsongs while he moves toward the door that leads to the corridor and then the kitchen, “but he’s about to.”

Kirk tips his head and calls to him.

“He’s already gone.”

Hand on the handle, Lars freezes.

“ _What?_ ”

“He’s already gone, went home.”

“Lort”, he mumbles.

He pouts for a second, while his eyes dart from one point to another, pensive.

Then resolve colors his face.

“I have to find Steffan.”

He swings the door open while his free fingers untie the robe’s belt.

“STEFFAN, WHERE IS THE CAMERA?”

Kirk raises his voice, his tone calm and kind of bored.

“Don’t flash our employees! That’s sexual harassment!”

The door is already shut but they hear a faint _shit_.

Having the drama left the room, Rob and Kirk regard each other: they are both amused but in different ways.

Kirk abandons his head against the couch rest and lolls it towards his friend.

A tired, content smile paints his face light, brightening it.

“You know, it may sound strange to you, but I’m kinda happy about this.”

“About Lars flashing the staff?”

“No”, he glances at Rob, finding him still delighted, “about Lars being… tactile and bratty and—”

He moves a hand; it falls back on his tight.

“I mean, you wouldn’t know because you weren’t there, but before…”

He huffs and tries not to stutter.

Rob turns completely to him, a fist supporting his chin, giving his friend all his time and attention.

It seems like a complicated matter.

Kirk takes a breath and lifts himself up, sitting cross legged on the couch, face to face with the other.

“Ok, the bottom line is ‘during the whole St. Anger-thing-plus-therapy something happened’. Don’t ask me _what_ , but it _happened_. I don’t even know when, but one day I noticed… ok, I did notice before then.”

Rob is frowning and Kirk tries again.

“What I mean is that during those years I noticed that Lars had become… less _tactile_ with James, let’s put it like that. You know how ‘hands on’ can Lars be, right?”

Both men smirk.

“So, you say that whatever happened then made Lars more distant toward James?”

Kirk hums.

“Not exactly, I mean, we always hugged each other, you’ve seen it, and Lars never shied away from it, it’s more…”

“Complicated?” Rob supplies.

Kirk snorts.

“Yeah. And, man, you know I can read the room, right?”

Rob nods: he could, and he was even pretty good at it; his heart hurts a bit, though, thinking why his friend developed such skill.

“I noticed back then –that's what I was trying to say earlier— but it didn’t bother me too much because it made sense, Lars was clearly hurt, and he didn’t feel that his brand of affection was welcomed by James. I already knew it would have taken a while, it made sense; just—”

Not years.

Not till September 2006.

Rob hums, pondering.

"So… you think they just needed time or…?"

Kirk clicks his tongue and rises his chin, thoughtful.

"I think it was James."

He swallows –the truth gripping his throat, not wanting to get out (out of habit, out of fear, out of **_"what is ours is ours is ours"_** ), reminding himself that it's okay, it's just an ingrained mechanism: he trusts Rob, he already decided to trust Rob with… _this_ , with _themselves_.

"He… lets him."

Kirk exhales, tense, feeling the mouth going stiff.

"You know? H-he just lets hi—im do stu-hff."

(He is not explaining this well. Shit.)

(Another deep breath.)

(Rob is still there on the couch, no rush at all.)

"He always did. Let him do stuff, I mean. Even at the peak of the Big-Het-Posturing phase, when he was like that even with just us, Lars could go and be all over him. I was always like 'Lars, dude, get a _clue_ ', 'Lars, look at the murder in his eyes, it's not the time'. And yet, excluding a fist fight… or _five_ " that earns him an amused snort, "James had always let Lars close, and sometimes even 'initiated contact' himself. And I think now… now he is doing it on purpose."

With his head held up by his palm, Rob asks with ease.

"So, basically you noticed that, lately, James is more touchy-feely with Lars? And _that_ gave Lars the confidence to go back to be right in his face?"

Kirk scrunches up his nose and scratches his cheekbone.

"Not that so much as, uhhh, I think now James knows that Lars has some 'privileges'; back then too, but now he is _conscious_ of it: so he lets him", he opens his arms, dramatically, "Lars loves to be special, so James gives him that. James is not one for 'words of affirmation' or… what was the other one? The love language shit, y'know? Whatever, just-- Lars understands receiving love by gestures, so James is doing gestures…"

"By _not_ doing gestures when Lars does shit that nobody else is allowed to?"

"Bingo", he fingerguns and snorts, "the strangest, ubercomplicated middle they could find, but they apparently found it."

Rob chuckles, shaking his head.

"Oh, _man_! This will escalate so quickly. Lars is definitely gonna test how far he can get away with this."

Kirk nods, knowingly.

"And we are already at 'using your stuff while naked and sweaty'. Let's see where we end up by the time this album is done."

Rob looks at him, a bit of mischief in his big, kind eyes.

"Wanna bet?"

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little thing, just some thoughts that I had about that in-between period that is 2006.  
> And I couldn't resist a nod to one of my fave babble of all time. You know the one.


End file.
